Early Intervention for LGBTQ Health: A 10-Hour Curriculum for Preclinical Health Professions Students

Date of Review: May, 2021

This resource, from MedEdPortal, is a 10-hour elective course offered to 1st and 2nd-year medical students at the University of Colorado. The course consists of 5, 2-hour sessions that utilizes a multimodal approach to instruct students by providing didactic sessions, case scenarios, a panel discussion, and standardized patient encounters. The first session covers LGBTQ-related terminology and methods for taking an inclusive sexual history. Case scenarios allow students to practice taking an inclusive sexual history and using the terminology presented. The second session includes a didactic portion and case-based discussions which focus on LGBTQ adult health issues including, health disparities, primary care recommendations, anticipatory guidance for LGBTQ adults, and principles of transition-related care for transgender adults. The third session focuses on issues specific to LGBTQ children and adolescents. Topics include health disparities among transgender youth, specific challenges in working with transgender youth, and best practice recommendations for transgender youth seeking to transition. A panel discussion with members of the LGBTQ community was the fourth session. Panelists share their experiences with the health care system, challenges they had faced in accessing care, experiences that were particularly invalidating, and empowering experiences. The fifth session has two components; the first component being a 1-hour practice where students interview standardized patients in small groups. The second component is a debrief of the practice session to allow students to discuss their experiences and the challenges that arose. Although this curriculum was designed for preclinical medical students it is also applicable to other health students. –Ashti Doobay Persaud, MD, NCEAS

Corresponding Author’s Email:

matthew.minturn@cuanschutz.edu

Institution:

University of Colorado

Where was the Curriculum Implemented:

Colorado

Source of the Curriculum/Resource:

MedEdPORTAL

Outcomes that Have Been Reported for the Curriculum:

Self-reported learner attitude

Self-reported learner knowledge

Outcome and Study Design:

Pre/Post

Level of Learner Assessment:

Appreciation of content/attitude assessment (self-reflection, blogging with rubric)

Knowledge Acquisition (MCQ, IRAT, GRAT)